Westchester tunnel across Long Island Sound takes next step

Paul Karas, the acting commissioner of the state Department of Transportation, says the state will soon be discussing the idea of a tunnel from Long Island to Westchester or Connecticut with the private sector.
Jon Campbell / Albany Bureau

The New York State Department of Transportation issued a formal request Jan. 26, 2018, to private equity investors and contractors to express interest in building a massive tunnel from Long Island to Westchester. This image from the cover of the request shows the potential route.(Photo: Source: NYS Dept. of Transportation)

ALBANY - New York officials appear to have zeroed in on Westchester for a potential tunnel across the Long Island Sound and are now turning to the private sector to gauge interest.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo's administration issued a formal request Friday to the construction industry and private-equity investors, urging them to express interest in building a tunnel from Long Island.

The request focuses entirely on a tunnel ending in Westchester County and not Connecticut, where the state had also studied as a potential landing spot.

It won't come cheap, however: A state-funded study found such a tunnel would cost up to $55.4 billion to build.

"Today we are taking another step to advance an ambitious project that would reduce traffic on the impossibly congested Long Island Expressway, improve connectivity, and help ensure the region's future economic competitiveness," Cuomo said in a statement Friday.

The state's latest move came a day after Paul Karas, the state's acting transportation commissioner, said his department is taking the next steps in analyzing the potential for a major new tunnel after a consultant's report found it's technically feasible, though expensive.

The new "Request For Expressions of Interest" from the state Department of Transportation specifically targets contractors and private investors that have experience in major infrastructure projects.

In order to submit, a contractor must have led a bridge or tunnel project of at least $1 billion in size, while equity investors would need experience with individual projects exceeding $500 million.

Contractors and investors that don't meet those requirements would be able to put together a broader partnership, similar to the consortium of companies involved in building the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge connecting Westchester and Rockland.

Those who are interested are asked to submit ideas and how they would build and, perhaps more importantly, pay for a tunnel. The deadline to submit ideas is April 2.

That includes analyzing the "economic, engineering and environmental aspects" of a tunnel, he said, and whether the private sector and construction industry have any ideas for how to pay for it.

"We will be working with the private sector, with industry, to determine what interest and funding they may suggest for that project," Karas said during the hearing, which focused on the transportation initiatives in Cuomo's $168 billion budget proposal.

The idea for a tunnel connecting Long Island to Westchester dates back decades but was rekindled in recent years by Cuomo, who pledged $5 million to study the concept in his 2016 budget.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo delivers his 2018 executive state budget proposal during a news conference at the Clark Auditorium in Albany, on Tuesday.(Photo: Hans Pennink, AP)

But a potential span comes with a hefty price tag, ranging from an estimated $13 billion for a bridge from Long Island to Connecticut to up to $55.4 billion for an 18-mile tunnel from Syosset on Long Island to Rye or Port Chester in Westchester, the report found.

The state's request Friday, however, was entirely focused on the more expensive option. It does not acknowledge the Connecticut options presented in WSP's report, instead focusing exclusively on a tunnel from an undetermined location on Long Island's North Shore to somewhere in Westchester.

The WSP study acknowledged that the price would likely be too steep to be footed entirely by private investors since toll revenue would likely only cover a portion of annual debt payments.

But it raised the possibility of a public-private partnership to cover the costs if the massive project were to move ahead.

Speaking to reporters after the hearing Thursday, Karas said the state is very early in the process.

"We're going to be working with industry and the private sector to look at what their contribution and interest is in this project," he said. "It's a very large, very expensive project and sources of funding could come from a number of places."

Karas continued: "Ownership of a tunnel could come from a number of places. So we're going to be looking at all of those options here."

Westchester lawmakers expressed concern about the traffic implications a tunnel could have in the county, with Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, D-Scarsdale, asking Karas when the local community will have its say.

"We're in the very early stages but we will be working with the local communities on both ends of the project to address the benefits and the impacts," Karas said.

Assemblyman Steve Otis, a Democrat who was Rye city mayor when a Long Island businessman made a similar tunnel proposal in 2007, asked Karas to ensure that Westchester traffic issues are considered.

"As you're going through the other aspects of due diligence, I look forward to continuing to work with you to make sure that the traffic numbers get crunched because they are going to be pivotal in terms of what is feasible or not feasible," Otis said.

Even if the state continues to move forward, WSP's study found it would take years of further study before construction could begin.

That includes at least five years for scoping and environmental reviews and approvals, according to the study. After that, at least 1 1/2 years would be needed for the design phase.

After the study is complete, it would take at least eight years of construction before a tunnel could open, WSP found.